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| IZ*ONE members perform "La Vie en Rose" to unveil their debut album at Olympic Hall in Seoul, Monday. Courtesy of Off The Record Entertainment |
By Kwak Yeon-soo
Korean-Japanese project group IZ*ONE, made up of the 12 finalists from Mnet's idol survival show "Produce 48," debuted with its first mini album "COLOR*IZ," Monday.
The collaboration between Mnet's "national producer" system and the recruitment of Japanese talent with Japan's AKS, the entertainment company behind popular Japanese girl band AKB48, saw 96 idol trainees from Korea and Japan compete from June to August, before the final 12 were selected by audience votes.
The Korean finalists were Lee Chae-yeon, Kim Min-ju, Kim Chae-won, Kang Hye-won, Kwon Eun-bi, Ahn Yoo-jin, Choi Ye-na, Jo Yu-ri and Jang Won-young. The three Japanese members, who have already made their debut in Japan, are Miyawaki Sakura and Honda Hitomi of AKB48, and Yabuki Nako of HKT48.
IZ*ONE is the latest idol band formed through Mnet's show, after girl band I.O.I and boy band Wanna One made successful debuts after previous seasons. The project group will run for two-and-a-half years, compared with one year for I.O.I and one-and-a-half years for Wanna One.
The group name "IZ*ONE" was chosen by online voting during the show and it embodies the hopes of fans that the 12 members will shine brightly like stars and stay united.
Its debut album "COLOR*IZ," which reads "colorize," reflects members' determination and passion to create a rosy future for themselves and their fans. "The color red and rose represent our passion and identity," member Kim Min-joo said during a press showcase held in Seoul, Monday. "In that sense, our track La Vie en Rose, which means rosy life in French, is a single that portrays our charms."
Apart from the powerful lead track that encompasses the concept of the color red, the album has seven other tracks ― "Beautiful Color," "O'My," "Memory," "We Together," "We are in Love, Right?" "As We Dream" and "Pick Me."
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| IZ*ONE members perform "La Vie en Rose" to unveil their debut album at Olympic Hall in Seoul, Monday. Courtesy of Off The Record Entertainment |
At the press showcase, the members picked Girls' Generation as their role model. "Girls' Generation tried a variety of concepts and they were popular not only as a team but also as individual artists," Choi Ye-na said. "We want to become as competent as they were."
When asked how 12 members of different backgrounds and ages coordinate or make decisions, Kwon Eun-bi said: "We decide by majority vote. We have never had any internal conflict so far because we've developed a deep sense of camaraderie undergoing fierce competition together."
The Japanese members, who have halted their Japanese group activities, said they will do their best as members of IZ*ONE. "My Japanese fans may be saddened by the news I'm taking a hiatus from AKB48, but I promise I'll show them better stage performances in the future," Miyawaki Sakura said. Honda Hitomi said she wants to focus on raising her profile within IZ*ONE.
Despite the fact that they've just made it onto the K-pop scene and the band isn't going to last forever, the members said they have big goals they want to achieve during their limited run. "Throughout our run, we will do our best to excel like I.O.I and Wanna One," Jang Won-young said. "We feel a sense of responsibility that we should showcase good performances alongside other amazing K-pop idols."
